John t



J. T. G OWLES. Pire Escape Ladder.

Nf.,-236',1s4. Y Patented 1an. 18,1881.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN T. COWLES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND MATHIASBENNER, OF SAME PLACE.

FIRE-ESCAPE LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,784, dated January18, 1881.

Application filed December 15, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. GowLEs, residing at Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, and a citizen of the United States, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Fire-Escapes, of which thefollowing is a full description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure lis a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a side 1oelevation. Fig.3 is a plan of the platform.

, Fig. et is a vertical section at m of Fig. 1. Fig.

5 is a section at line .n of Fig. 3.

The steps used in ladders connected with stand-pipes are made of ironand have heretofore been round. In cold weather ice forms upon therounds of the ladder and adheres thereto when the same is used,rendering it dangerous and difficult for firemen and others to ascend ordescend the ladder.

The object of my invention is to so construct the steps of the laddersthat, under ordinary conditions, the ice will be broken and removed bythe action of the feet of persons using the same sufficiently to furnisha sure foothold; and this I accomplish by making the laddersteps of suchform that inuse the feet will come in contact with a sharp edge, all ashereiuafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings, A represents a stand-pipe, and B a ladder. As shown,one side, a, of the ladder is a bai,` or bars secured to the standpipe,and .the other side, b, is a tube. c are the steps, which, as shown, aresquare, and are so placed in the side pieces, a b, that the feet ofpersons using the ladder will come in contact with a sharp edge, asshown in Figs. 1 and 4.

C is a platform, made of cast-iron or other suitable material, andhaving a number of openings of considerable size through the same, withthe edges of the material around such openings made sharp, as shown inFig. 5, so that the surface with which the feet come in contact intheuse of the platform will present a series of sharp edges inclosiugthe openings, which edges, by the pressure or stamping of the feetthereon, will cut or break the ice as it accumulates on the platforminto pieces that Will readily pass through the openings, or which can bethrown from the plat- 5o I) is the side of a building with which the 6ostand-pipe, the ladder, and the platforms are connected in the usual orany suitable manner.

Under ordinary conditions, in case ice forms on the ladder-rounds, theweight of a person thereon will, in consequence of the sharp upper edgesof the rounds, crush and break the ice under the feet, and the feet willcome in contact with the sharp edge of the rounds, which furnish a safefoothold. So the Weight of a personstandingon the platform will break 7othe ice upon the sharp edges of the bars of the platform andthe brokenice will fall through the openings.

The advantages following from the use of ladders constructed asdescribed are too obvious to require special mention.

The stand-pipe, ladder, and platforms are to be made of iron, as isusual, and the several parts are to be suitably connected together.

The use of the stand-pipe will be understood 8o without specificdescription.

I do not claim, broadly, an angular round or rung for a ladder, as theyhave been heretofore used in wooden ladders of common construction andin common nre-escape ladders; but in all of these cases the rungs havebeen in line with the rails on two of their faces, and at right angleswith the rails on the other two faces, so that the angle of the run gs,in use, depends entirely on the angle of the rails when 9o the ladder isplaced for use, which position seldom exceeds fifteen degrees from thevertical line, which leaves the rungs in use practically flat-topped,and in wood a sharp angle is so soon knocked off or worn off that theywould be useless for my purpose 5 besides, my

l i l e1 m Y, u,

stand-pipe is vertical und the rungs are set; at as described, havingthe rungs sen to present an angle with the side supports, thus insuringa sharp upper edge for breaking away accu- 1o the full effect of theangle or sharp edge at all mulations of ice by simply using the ladder.times, thus giving them a difference in een- 5 struction and operation.JORF T LOWLES What I claim as new, and desire to secure Witnesses: byLetters Patent, is as follows: 0. W. BOND,

The vertical stand-pipe ladder constructed H. W. MURPHY.

